CAIRO: Zamalek recorded their sixth successive win in the Egyptian Premier League upon sinking Ittihad 2-1 in Alexandria on Monday, to secure provisional fourth spot in the table.
Alaa Ali opened the scoring on six minutes, but Mahmoud Shaker leveled for the home side five minutes past the hour mark.
Ahmed Gafaar hit the winner for the visitors in the 77th minute to give them all three points.
Zamalek are now one point clear of fifth-placed Gaish, who will face Ahly on Tuesday.
Upbeat Demeanor
The White Knights came on with an upbeat demeanor which definitely paid dividends.
Ali combined well with Ahmed Gafaar to surprisingly rifled a close-range shot from an acute angle. Al-Hani Soliman palmed the fierce drive but the ball hit the bar and crossed the line.
The Cairo giants tightened their grip on the game for several minutes after the opener, but couldn t double their lead.
Shikabala was instrumental in feeding Zamalek s frontline in the early minutes and posed a great threat on the hosts with his tireless runs and feints.
The flamboyant playmaker was awarded a free kick several yards from the area after being brought down by Shadi Mohamed, who was cautioned as a result. He tried to convert it but saw his effort hit the wall.
Facial Injury
Midway through the first period, Mahmoud Fathallah sustained a major facial injury right below his right eye.
Mohamed Al-Morsi s boot inadvertently caught the Egypt international s face during an on-ball challenge.
Fathallah, who was bleeding heavily, received treatment outside the pitch before making way for Ahmed Magdi.
Ittihad roared back to form in the last 10 minutes of the first period, while Zamalek struggled for fluency.
Giancarlo Mora s aerial prowess was a menace to Zamalek on several occasions.
On the other hand, Mohamed Nagi Geddo , who was expected to cause Ittihad s fans to be ultra aggressive for his link with Zamalek, barely lived up to expectations.
The 25-year-old had a golden chance to equalize on the stroke of halftime when he went one-on-one with Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed, but his tame effort went high over.
Deep into injury time, Shikabala saw a curling free kick denied by the crossbar.
Attacking Strategy
Zamalek tried to maintain their attacking strategy after the interval, but the home side refused to give up.
Mora had a hand in the equalizer after winning a foul on the edge of area. Shaker s free kick hit the net thanks to Al-Sayed s awkward positioning.
The introduction of Zamalek s Hussein Yasser evidently injected zeal. The former Ahly outcast bolstered the frontline with some silky passes.
Al-Morsi, who s eager to rejoin Zamalek, tried to slide past Abdul Wahed from close range but the ball went inches past the post.
Shortly afterwards, Hassan Mostafa wasted a clear-cut chance in the exact same way.
On 77 minutes, Mostafa was felled in the area before an unmarked Gafaar gathered the loose ball to wrong-foot the goalie and slot into an empty net.
